Reassigned postal workers facing big financial hardships

 
Reassigned postal workers facing big financial hardships
"...At the Memphis Processing and Distribution Center on Third Street and the Memphis Bulk Mail Center on Elvis Presley, many postal workers are on edge as workers are being let go or moved. Reassigned workers may be given relocation expenses but they are only reimbursed after they have paid the moving costs, which is an economic hardship for many families...."
Reference: tri-statedefenderonline.com

 

Post Office Cuts 25,000 Jobs This Year

 
Post Office Cuts 25,000 Jobs This Year
"...The U.S. Postal Service has cut its staff by 25,000 this year as it struggles to reduce massive deficits, Postmaster General John Potter said Monday. Postal employment is now below 635,000, Potter said, down from about 800,000 in 1999. ..."
Reference: www.cbsnews.com

 

Same Office, Very Different Workplace

 
Same Office, Very Different Workplace
"...The new OPM Director said he wants to reverse what he said was an adversial relationship between labor and management that grew up during the Bush administration. Starting this summer, he said, their will be a new seminar at OPM Leadership Development Centers where federal officials and union leaders "can start this collaborative process."..."
Reference: www.federalnewsradio.com

 

Banner day honors combat vets

 
Banner day honors combat vets
"...Former Navy SEAL José Cabral, 52, of West Lafayette said he served during the Cold War and copes with post-traumatic stress disorder. "I feel uncomfortable being honored, but I am grateful that people remember us," said the soft-spoken Cabral, a mail handler with the Lafayette post office..."
Reference: jconline.com

 

USPS PHASE 1 RIF AVOIDANCE POSTINGS NOW ON eCAREER

FIRST PHASE OF VACANCY POSTINGS

"...Phase 1 RIF avoidance vacancy postings for District Customer Service Offices and mail processing organizational changes opened Tuesday, April 28 and will close May 13. To avoid missing out on a potential job opportunity, log on to eCareer today, create your profile and begin your search for jobs. ..."    

See the Organizational Changes website for more details on LACs and timelines of activity.

This Article is From: liteblue.usps.gov
 

Postal service inspector general seeking data on sick time views

"...The OIG is collecting the data as anecdotal information, and it may be used as part of an ongoing audit on attitudes in the postal service, an OIG spokesperson said. According to the blog, the USPS indentified about 35,000 of its 640,026 employees who had 20 or more unscheduled absences last year, which translates to 5% of employees with nearly one absence for every pay period...."    

This Article is From: www.dmnews.com

 

Queens mail could get rerouted to Brooklyn

 
Queens mail could get rerouted to Brooklyn
"...“We're the ones who are going to take the first hit,” said Trevor Stuart, the Branch President of the Mail Handlers Union, who said 39 of his workers are..."
Reference: www.queenscourier.com

 

New hope for stalled labor bill

 
New hope for stalled labor bill
"...Sen. Arlen Specter’s party switch is breathing new life into labor’s campaign to win new organizing rights for workers, an issue the business community hoped was stalled, if not killed. “This is a new day for the Employee Free Choice Act and labor law reform..."
Reference: www.politico.com

 

OPM CSRS Federal Employee Disability Retirement

 
OPM CSRS Federal Employee Disability Retirement
"...If you are still employed or have been separated from your employing agency for 31 days or less-- Your employing agency may help you complete these forms and if you are still on the agency payroll, will forward the completed forms to OPM. However, it is your responsibility to obtain all the information necessary for OPM to make a decision on your claim. This includes providing all of the required forms and documentation. ..."
Reference: www.opm.gov

 

OPM FERS Federal Employee Disability Retirement

 
OPM FERS Federal Employee Disability Retirement
"...When to Consider Applying for Disability Retirement You should consider applying for disability retirement only after you have provided your employing agency with complete documentation of your medical condition and your agency has exhausted all reasonable attempts to retain you in a productive capacity, through accommodation or reassignment. You must meet all of the following conditions to be eligible for disability retirement..."
Reference: www.opm.gov

 

FERS Social Security Annuity Supplement

 
FERS Social Security Annuity Supplement
"...With many people taking the USPS Voluntary Early Retirement, many of you may have questions relative to Eligibility for the Retiree Annuity Supplement. Check out the OPM PDF document on the subject. ..."
Reference: postal-newsgroup.blogspot.com

 

USPS offering summer mail discount, DMA says

 
USPS offering summer mail discount, DMA says

"...20% to 30% discounts, from June 15 to September 15, for mail volume over and above that mailer's past mailing. The Postal Service would establish a base mail volume for each mailer derived from that mailer's mailings from June 15 to September 15, 2008 adjusted downward by the current mail trends for that mailer during the first two quarters of Fiscal Year 2009...."
Reference: www.dmnews.com

 

Postal Employee Online Public Data Source

The CourierPostOnline has a Public data source that will identify salary, facility location, Title/Position and year hired ...all you have to do is supply the name.    

Editor Note: I checked my name and it was accurate to date.

This Article is From: courierpostonline.com

 

Definition of industrial arbitration

 
industrial arbitration
"...industrial arbitration method of settling disputes between employer and employees by seeking and accepting a decision by a third party. Such arbitration may be compelled by the government, as in New Zealand (since 1894), Australia (since 1904), Canada (since 1907), Italy (since 1926), and Great Britain (since World War II). In other cases, it may be by voluntary agreement, as is often the case in the United States, where the government occasionally intervenes in the case of a strike affecting the public welfare (see Taft-Hartley Labor Act ) by persuading the parties concerned to accept the decision handed down by the arbitrator. Additionally, the Supreme Court ruled in 2001 that companies can insist that employment-related disputes (such as discrimination suits) go to arbitration rather than to court. Arbitration machinery in the United States has been set up at both federal and state levels in the form of mediation and arbitration boards. The American Arbitration Association, founded in 1926, has nearly 17,000 members who help settle labor disputes. In voluntary arbitration a formal agreement is usually made to abide by the decision.

Bibliography: See F. Elkouri, How Arbitration Works (1985); M. Bognanno, Labor Arbitration in America (1992). ..."
Reference: "industrial arbitration." The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. 7 Apr. 2009 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

 

MSPB Decisions

 
MSPB Decisions
Interested in reading decisions made by the Merit Systems Protection Board? Often these cases can be interesting reading. The decision listing can also be a vital resource in prepping grievances and future MSPB cases. You can use the "search" feature to be more specific in your decision research. Type in "United States Postal Service" to read related case decisions.
Reference: www.mspb.gov

 

Postal worker hits 40 years

Dan Smith
 
Postal worker hits 40 years
"...Like with any other profession, Smith started out at the bottom as a mail handler at the Jackson Center Post Office in 1970...."
Reference: www.delphosherald.com

 

VA announces stimulus spending

 
VA announces stimulus spending
"...The $250 payments will be issued as early as June 2009. To be eligible, a veteran must have received a qualifying compensation between November of last year and January. ..."
Reference: www.federalnewsradio.com

 

House Approves Bill To Give Sick-Leave Credit to FERS Retirees

  Still must be approved in Senate
House Approves Bill To Give Sick-Leave Credit to FERS Retirees
"...The focus for correcting these FERS inequities will now shift to the United States Senate, where they may be considered as part of a bill providing the Food and Drug Administration with wider authority to regulate tobacco products...."
Reference: www.apwu.org

 

New Postal Voluntary Early Retirement VER for July 31, 2009

Postal News

Read it here: New Postal Voluntary Retirement VER for July 31, 2009

ALL EMPLOYEES except Electronic Technicians (ET); Maintenance Mechanics, Mail Processing Equipment (MPE); Part-time Postmasters.

"... Please Note: The age and years of service criteria must be met by the effective retirement date of this VERA: July 31, 2009. If you don’t meet the criteria by July 31, 2009, you are not eligible for voluntary early retirement...."  
Source: The Postal Newsgroup

 

USPS Announces VER, District Closings, Reductions

On March 20, the US Postal Service announced District Closings, Voluntary Early Retirement, and Reductions. The announcement reads as follows:

USPS ANNOUNCES ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICE CLOSINGS, EARLY RETIREMENT OFFER AND
STAFFING REDUCTIONS

Today the Postal Service has announced it will close six of its 80 district offices. USPS is also
eliminating positions across the country and offering another round of voluntary early retirements.
These actions are expected to save the Postal Service more than $100 million annually.
The six offices closing — located in Florida, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey,
Pennsylvania and Washington State — house administrative functions and will not adversely affect
customer service, mail delivery, Post Office operations or ZIP Codes. The functions of these offices will
be assumed by 10 surrounding districts.
The Postal Service’s districts are being re-aligned as follows:
�� The Boston and Connecticut districts will assume the operations of the Massachusetts District.
�� The Northern New England (formerly Maine) District will assume the operations of the New
Hampshire/Vermont District.
�� The Western Pennsylvania (formerly Pittsburgh) District will assume the operations of the Erie
District.
�� The South Florida and Suncoast districts will assume the operations of the Central Florida
District.
�� The Seattle and Salt Lake City districts will assume the operations of the Spokane District.
�� The Northern New Jersey and Southern New Jersey districts will assume the operations of the
Central Jersey District.
USPS will reduce administrative staff positions at the district level nationwide by 15 percent. In addition,
more than 1,400 mail processing supervisor and management positions at nearly 400 facilities around
the country will be eliminated, and nearly 150,000 employees nationwide are being given the


The Mandatory Stand-Up Talk reads as follows:

Mandatory Stand-Up Talk
District Closings, Staffing Reductions and VER Announced
With the economic recession resulting in the Postal Service ending fiscal year 2008 with a loss of nearly $3 billion, we
are facing an extremely difficult financial challenge.
Streamlining operations and improving efficiency throughout the Postal Service is a constant, ongoing process. Over
the past year, we have refined this process by modifying networks, consolidating functions, adjusting delivery routes
and restructuring administrative and processing operations. Today, Postmaster General Jack Potter announced new
steps to further our efforts. These actions are expected to save the Postal Service more than $100 million annually.
First, the Postal Service is closing six district offices.
These six administrative district offices were chosen based on their proximity to other districts that could absorb the
additional workload without compromising the delivery, retail and mail processing functions of the Postal Service.
Today, more than 500 employees were notified by their area vice president and/or district manager that their district
offices were closing.
An opportunity for voluntary early retirement (VER) also is being offered.
This nationwide offer is open to nearly 150,000 employees who meet the Office of Personnel Management (OPM)
conditions, and who are at least 50 years of age with 20 years of creditable federal service, or any age with 25 years
of creditable federal service. An annuity estimate will be mailed to all VER-eligible employees starting April 6, 2009.
Another step being taken is instituting a 15% administrative staffing reduction of positions in all remaining 74
district offices.
Postal headquarters already has reduced its employee complement by approximately 15% and the area offices are in
the process of a similar staffing reduction.
At nearly 400 of our mail processing facilities around the country, more than 1,400 supervisor and
management positions are being eliminated.
Reduction in force (RIF) avoidance strategies will be in place for employees impacted by district closings and staffing
reductions.
There are no signs of an early economic recovery. Financial projections call for a continued decline in mail volume and
revenue.
Now, more than ever, we all must look for ways to do our jobs more efficiently and help to continue the service
performance and customer satisfaction improvements we have gained in recent years.
By doing so, we can help ensure that the Postal Service will continue to deliver for America now and in the future.
Additional information — and questions and answers — about all of these new changes can be found under the Hot
Topics section on Blue. VER information can be found under the Hot Topics section on LiteBlue.

 

District Closings and New USPS Early Out

 

One of the members over at the FederalSoup Community has provided information on "District Closings" [information not verified or confirmed] relating to the newly announced Voluntary Early Retirement action. It includes Districts and numbers. The information is found on the 10th page, third item of this link: http://community.federalsoup.com/4/OpenTopic?q=Y&a=tpc&s=4944011921&f=7604055441&m=1831021071&p=10.
Reference: community.federalsoup.com

 

U.S. Postal Service offering early retirement to 150,000 workers

 
U.S. Postal Service offering early retirement to 150,000 workers
"...Aside from offering early retirement to 150,000 of the agency's 646,000 workers, the Postal Service said it would reduce management staff by 15%, which would eliminate more than 1,400 processing, supervisor and management posts at nearly 400 facilities...."
Reference: www.latimes.com

 

Stopper Postcard Measures Delivery Speed While Stressing Out Postal Workers

 
Stopper Postcard Measures Delivery Speed While Stressing Out Postal Workers
"...Just how long does it take that postcard to get from A to B? The Stopper postcard can tell you..."
Reference: i.gizmodo.com

 

Changes to the Rehabilitation Act

 
Changes to the Rehabilitation Act
Click below to enlarge text

Reference: www.napus.org

 

Postal Service tweaks delivery of plummeting mail count

 
Postal Service tweaks delivery of plummeting mail count
"...The National Association of Letter Carriers, a trade union, inked a deal with the Postal Service that has allowed the reorganization of deliveries to begin, and the process is expected to be completed by the middle of next month. Union representatives are examining data from postal routes and approving adjustments on a case-by-case basis..."
Reference: www.keepmecurrent.com

 

LDC-18 Classified Positions

 

USPS Telecom for dissemination to employees (Alabama):

LDC-18 positions will be eliminated in plants

Plants must be at plan on work hours

No double DPS runs on Sunday

Reassignments to other crafts after April (editor note: we believe this to be clerks to carriers as reported in the news recently)

Bids will be changed to match workloads

USPS Forecast to lose 8.8 billion this year

Reference: March 2, 2009: Alabama USPS Telecom via employee communication

 

CHANGES IN STORE FOR BULK MAIL CENTERS --SUBCONTRACTING IS OFF THE TABLE

 
CHANGES IN STORE FOR BULK MAIL CENTERS --SUBCONTRACTING IS OFF THE TABLE
The USPS has informed the NPMHU of changes that they intend to make to the existing BMC network. According to USPS Headquarters, they intend to move forward with a new network which will utilize the existing BMCs as “Network Distribution Centers” (NDCs) to more efficiently process and transport the mail. The plans shared with the Union thus far call for three tiers of BMCs (NDCs), with each tier having different responsibilities. This new initiative eliminates the earlier USPS plan to subcontract much of the BMC work.

According to the USPS plan, Tier 1 BMCs (NDCs) will lose some volume because some of the mail that is currently being processed there will be rerouted to Tier 2 facilities.

The concept will be tested first, most likely in the Northeast Area, and involves three Bulk Mail Centers (Springfield, Philadelphia, and New Jersey). Springfield and Philadelphia are expected to be “Tier 1 NDCs,” and New Jersey is expected to be a “Tier 2 NDC.”

Further details regarding mail processing, transportation, staffing and other issues will be circulated to the Local Unions shortly. Discussions are ongoing with USPS Headquarters, and we will update you as further details become available.
Reference: www.npmhu.org

 

Save Lakeland Mail Center

Lakeland Processing and Distribution Center
 
Save Lakeland Mail Center
"...feasibility study to see if it would make sense to consolidate some of the operations into the Tampa P&DC. We realize changes are necessary in these trying economic times. However, closing the vital distribution operations at the Lakeland P&DC, possibly "excessing" my job, is not a viable option...."
Reference: www.theledger.com

 

Missing East Bay Postal Worker Found

 
Missing East Bay Postal Worker Found
"...had not been seen since Thursday morning outside of her work at 1675 Seventh St. She was disoriented and trying to get into her vehicle, police said...."
Reference: www.msnbc.msn.com